Easter Eggs

Here are a few of my favorite techniques I use to decorate our Easter Eggs :)

Chromatic Eggs

This method uses pre-boiled eggs*. You will need food coloring, white vinegar, small cups or bowls and some paper towels.In each mini bowl put 10 drops of food coloring and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Carefully dip the egg in the color, let it dry and dip again in another bowl and on a different side of the egg. Play with the curves and let it overlap. You can create great patterns and shades.

Botanical Eggs

Choose white eggs for dying… the color will catch better on a white egg than on a brown one.Pick herb leaves like rosemary, mint, thyme, tarragon, or even flower… let your creativity guide you :))Moisten each egg with a little bit of water, place the flower or leaf face down on the egg. Fix the leaf on the egg with a piece of panty hose. Stretch the square of panty hose as much as you can and secure it with a rubber band. That way, everything will be “locked in” and ready for boiling and coloring. You can dye the eggs by boiling them in a pot with hot water (of course) adding a little bit of food safe coloring and a tablespoon of vinegar. The vinegar helps the dying process of the egg shell.Once cooked, remove the piece of panty hose, and peel off the leaf... You can also use spinach, onion skins and other natural ingredients as coloring agents.

Tribal Eggs

This method uses pre-boiled eggs*. I used black food coloring. In a large glass, pour 10 drops of coloring, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1/2 cup boiling water. Submerge two boiled eggs at a time (make sure the eggs are covered with water). Let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and roll on paper towel to dry. Wait for a few minutes for the eggs to dry completely then play with metallic markers. Have fun! :)The chemical composition of the black food coloring and the vinegar give uneven pattern to the end result. Each egg will come out slightly different.

*Hard Boiled Eggs

Put the eggs in a pot large enough to contain the 12 eggs in a single layer, with enough cold water to completely cover the eggs by 2 inches (5 cm), and one tablespoon of coarse salt. Let the water slowly come to a boiling stage over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat off, cover the pot and keep the eggs in the hot water, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl filled with cold water and ice. Remove the eggs form the pot and put them directly in the bowl of cold water. Wait until they are completely cooled down to remove them, around 10 minutes.

Noteworthy: Fresh eggs are harder to peel. Try to plan in advance and buy your eggs a few days before making this recipe (around 5 days).Salt can prevent the eggs from cracking and solidify the proteins so the eggs peel off more easily.You can add vinegar to the boiling water, it will help the egg keep its shape in case the shell crack during cooking.The cooking time depends on the size of the eggs you’re using, usually, medium eggs require 12 minutes and extra large ones 18 minutes sitting in hot water, in a covered pot. But you might be living in a country where they don’t label the eggs by size,… so time after time, you will know what is the best timing for the eggs you buy, just make sure not to over cook them, their texture can become rubbery and the yolk will have a green ring around it.